Product description

As Good As It Gets [DVD] [1998]

Price: £12.99
RRP: £12.99
Average customer rating: 4.5

Binding : DVD
EAN : 5035822646131
Label : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Manufacturer : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Publisher : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release date : 1998-12-21
Title : As Good As It Gets [DVD] [1998]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Suitable for 15 years and over
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 1998-03-13
Region code : 2
Running time : 133
Studio : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Theatrical releaseDate : 1997-12-25
Number of discs : 1

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
For all of its conventional plotting about an obsessive-compulsive curmudgeon (Jack Nicholson) who improves his personality at the urging of his gay neighboor (Greg Kinnear) and a waitress (Helen Hunt), who inspires his best behaviour, IAs Good As It Gets/I is one of the sharpest Hollywood comedies of the 1990s. Nicholson could play his role in his sleep (the Oscar he won should have gone to Robert Duvall for IThe Apostle/I) but his mischievous persona is precisely necessary to give heart to his seemingly heartless character, who is of all things a successful romance novelist. As a single mom with a chronically asthmatic young son, Hunt gives the film its conscience and integrity (along with plenty of wry humoor)and she also won an Oscar for her wonderful performance. Greg Kinnear had to settle for an Oscar nomination (while cowriter-director James L. Brooks was inexplicably snubbed by Oscar that year) but his work was also singled out in the film's near-unanimous chorus of critical praise. It's questionable whether a romance between Hunt and the much older Nicholson is entirely believable but this movie's smart enough--and charmingly funny enough--to make it seem endearingly possible. i--Jeff Shannon/i

Customer reviews

review by: Stuff lover date: 2009-07-04 rating:

Could get better
In the year when Titanic dominated the Acadamy Awards, As Good as it Gets was the other big winner, particularly in the case of the acting Oscars. A mix of romatic comedy and road movie (both of which lead to characters inevitably learning "important life lessons") and featuring Jack Nicholson playing someone with a personality disorder this was serious Oscar bait... but its not really all that amazing. br / br /Nicholson plays Melvin Udall, a misanthropic author of schlocky romance novels who suffers from an obsessive compulsive disorder. Melvin largely hates everyone, making his homophobia toward his neighbour Simon really not all that unsual. Melvin also hates Simon's dog, a bad state of affairs when Simon is brutally attacked and he is forced to look after the little hound. Of course the dog turns Melvin around to some extent as does his awkward relationship with Carol, a waitress and single mother at Melvin's favourite diner who is one of the few people not intimidated or upset by him. br / br /Helen Hunt as Carol and Greg Kinnear as Simon are both very impressive, surprisingly so actually. Hunt has just the right amount of world weariness in her eyes to make the flickers of hope look believable and she is very strong in the scenes relating to Carol's severely asthmatic son. In the case of Nicholson however I can't help but think that the Oscar he won was totally undeserved. This is Jack Nicholson by numbers, and while that can still be very impressive its nothing special here. I bet even the man himself was surprised at being nominated, and bemused at winning for this part which in no way stretches him. br / br /The romantic element is also misjudged as Nicholson and Hunt make a totally unbelievable couple. Even accepting the age disparity there is absolutely no chemistry between them. Reading the film that Carol is using Melvin to some extent for selfish reasons injects an air of cynicism that I don't think the writers are reaching for. The dynamic between them only comes alive where Kinnear is in the mix as the wild card that Melvin cannot factor for. It's a superior romantic comedy when compared to the endless stream of Jennifer Aniston or Matthew MacConaughey style dross, but that doesn't make it a great film. Average overall, with some nice performances.

review by: date: 2009-06-01 rating:

Lives up to the title
br /This film really is as good as it gets, Probably my favourite motion picture. It ticks every box on what a film should be, It has a story to tell and it does it with charm, wit, emotion and heart. Beautiful chemistry between Jack and Helen. The cast works so well. br / br /Jack's portrayal of a man with OCD is nothing short of outstanding. Nicholson's charm and massive screen presents makes it a joy to watch, the story of a man who beats his disorder just though the power of love. A beautiful film. Buy it now! You won't be disappointed.

review by: jeannie1282 date: 2009-04-20 rating:

amazing film
This is compulsive viewing. As usual Jack Nicholson really gets into the part and is amazing and to be teemed up with the wonderful Helen Hunt just makes a magical combo. One of the best films I have ever seen. If you have any obsessions or compulsions no matter how mild - you will be able to identify with some of Jack's screen character's problems. Incredibly funny romantic comedy. - I've watched the film so many times and never tire of it and still find it fresh, such a 'feel good' film. Love it!!!

review by: date: 2009-01-14 rating:

One of the greats
I'm so glad to see the positive reviews here making big claims for this film - I agree, it's one of the great, underrated gems of cinema. Underrated, because the "rom-com" label makes people think it can't be that great. But it is. Perfectly written and performed, with a wonderful balance of humour and pathos, plus far more than its fair share of quotable one-liners, it offers human truth and illumination and redemption as much as anything ever put on film. Melvin's reply to Simon "I'd be the luckiest man alive if that did it for me" is one of the most affecting, funny, transformational moments in any movie I know, as deft as anything Dickens or Shakespeare wrote. I could watch this film any number of times and still look forward to the next viewing. It is as good as it gets.

review by: Jeeps date: 2008-12-07 rating:

As good as it gets...
Great comedy... br /What do you see on the cover? - Jack Nicholson! That's quite appropriate, as he carries the movie - like a tornado... br /Mr. Nicholson is an ugly galoot, a force of nature and it's a joy to see him let loose! br / br /Not that Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear are doing badly, it's just hard being up against Jack when he lets go! br / br /One to watch...

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